STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is among the few third-party Xbox Series X|S exclusive releases, which wasn't too surprising, considering the quality of the latest entry in the series and how unique the franchise generally is. What is surprising to learn, on the other hand, is how the exclusivity deal with Microsoft was reportedly decided. In a recent interview with OLDboi, GSC Game World founder Serhiy Hryhorovych revealed that Microsoft agreed to fund the game's console exclusivity primarily because of the overwhelming view count on one of the game's YouTube trailers. "We put out a STALKER 2 video, and when […]

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Following the mass Xbox layoffs (3,200 employees to be cut by July 2027, not to mention all the codev partners and vendors), developers and analysts started looking into what happened for the division to reach such a low point, and the failure of Game Pass came up in most conversations, especially when a new report revealed that the subscriber base actually decreased from 34 to 30 million. Moon Studios CEO Thomas Mahler, for instance, opined that they never delivered the big hits a subscription service would need. Anyway, the big question mark now is pertaining to the future of Game […]

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Following the umpteenth destructive wave of layoffs at Xbox, which this time also led to four (possibly five) studio divestitures and thousands more job cuts at historic studios like Bethesda, Obsidian, and id, it has become abundantly clear that the whole strategy centered on Game Pass was flawed. Xbox head Phil Spencer, with the blessing of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, explicitly sought to replicate Netflix's subscription service boom in gaming. However, the reality is that the two forms of entertainment couldn't be more different: games are generally much longer than TV series, for starters. Moreover, unlike TV shows or movies, they […]

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The ongoing issues at Xbox, with several studios at risk of being shut down (chiefly Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games, and Double Fine Productions) and more layoffs sadly rumored to be on the way, have inevitably become a topic of discussion among industry members, even publicly. Replying to Duke Nukem creator George Broussard, who had wondered "where did Game Pass come from?", Moon Studios CEO Thomas Mahler (Ori, No Rest for the Wicked) tweeted his theory that Game Pass is "a little like Communism" in that it does not give developers the incentive to "go the extra mile". Ultimately, he mused, […]

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Xbox has announced the second batch of Xbox Game Pass games that'll be joining its subscription service for the rest of June 2026. This second batch is meaningfully smaller than the first, though it still has a couple of big-name franchises attached. Like EA Sports FC 26, which heads to the service fresh off its extra stint on PS Plus Essential, to keep the world's biggest football game in front of as many players during football's biggest event, the FIFA World Cup. The other notable headliner is Call of Duty: Vanguard, which feels like a soft launch for Xbox's reported […]

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It's a weird comparison AMD made, but here we are, back at the Windows vs Mac debate that nobody needed. AMD Taunts Apple's MacBook Neo Over Gaming, Boasting Ryzen Laptops Run 20 of 20 Titles While Mac Manages Only 5 Windows vs. macOS debate seems never-ending, but it's surprising when it comes from one of the major chip manufacturers. AMD suddenly woke up and posted new marketing material that advertised Ryzen capabilities while taking a jab at the cost-effective MacBook Neo. Instead of directly comparing operating systems, AMD compared its Ryzen-based laptops with a macOS-based device, which is somewhat like […]

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Shortly before he was on his way out, one of the final decisions made by Phil Spencer and his regime at Xbox was to give Xbox Game Pass a massive 50% price hike. Users rushed to cancel their subscriptions so quickly and in such high droves in response that it crashed the cancel page on Xbox's website, so it's no surprise to hear the new strategy chief Matthew Ball admit that the company lost "millions" of subscribers due to the increase. This comes from Ball while speaking at The Game Business Live during Summer Game Fest 2026, first shared by […]

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Ahead of the Xbox Games Showcase as part of Summer Game Fest 2026, the first batch of Xbox Game Pass games for June 2026 has been revealed, and so far its a wave of indie games to start the month with a heavy-hitting JRPG in Persona 5 Royal. 'So far' is the key phrase though, because it wouldn't be a surprise if there are some shadow-drop reveals set for the upcoming showcase. Of course, it's never a guarantee, but Xbox has made a habit of including shadow-drop releases in its showcases, with games players can download on the service immediately […]

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It's been a big week for the Call of Duty franchise. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 was finally revealed, and alongside it came the confirmation that the franchise will finally leave the previous console generation behind, with Warzone and Modern Warfare 4 both leaving PS4 and Xbox One behind. Now, two new ratings from South Korea's game ratings board has players thinking there's another major announcement coming, though it may not be what it seems. Two new ratings for Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 spotted on Reddit has players wondering if this […]

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The second batch of XBOX Game Pass titles for May 2026 has been revealed alongside the full release of Forza Horizon 6, which is the big headlining game for the entire month. The rest of the month will include titles like the upcoming shooter Luna Abyss, the dinosaur park management game Jurassic World Evolution 3, and the co-op shooter Remnant 2. Those are just a few of the notable titles entering the subscription service over the rest of the month and into the first two days of June, others being the continued dolling out of the original Final Fantasy series […]

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After it leaked just three weeks ago, today, Discord and Xbox confirmed that a new 'starter' tier of Xbox Game Pass would be included with Discord Nitro. The news was first confirmed by Discord in a blog post and later followed up by Xbox with its own blog post. This new 'Starter Edition' of Game Pass will include over 50 games for players to jump into and 10 hours of cloud gaming, but it does not include online multiplayer for console players. Nitro subscribers at the $9.99 tier are the ones who will get access to this new Starter Edition […]

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Microsoft has just commenced the rollout of its Gaming-Focused "Xbox Mode" across all Windows 11 PCs and devices. Windows 11 PCs Will Now Get A Snappier Gaming Interface With Xbox Mode, Now Rolling Out Across All Devices Today, Microsoft has started rolling out its Xbox Game Mode across all Windows 11 PCs, including laptops, desktops, tablets, and more. With Xbox Mode, Windows 11 users can enjoy a console-like gaming interface that is snappier and more intuitive. Xbox mode is designed for the moments when you want your games to take center stage on Windows 11 PCs and handhelds. Inspired by […]

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This week has meant a lot of change for Xbox, and it's clear that there's more change coming in the future. After Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass officially got cheaper, leaks of a new, cheaper tier of Game Pass called Xbox Game Pass Starter appeared online. Now, it looks like the list of games that'll come with that tier have leaked, and we have an idea of when it'll be available for players. This comes from a new report from a very reliable leaker, Billbil-kun at Dealabs. They've proven to be a very credible source when it […]

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This week has been a big one for the Xbox brand. Just a few days ago, recently appointed chief executive officer Asha Sharma confirmed that Game Pass Ultimate would be getting a price decrease, and followed up that news with a new plan, focus, and logo for the future of Xbox in its new era under her purview. Now, in a new interview with Game File, she and chief content officer Matt Booty explained a little more about how they see the future of the platform and confirm that they don't yet have an answer to the question everyone is […]

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Earlier this week, Xbox's new chief executive officer, Asha Sharma, took the first of what we'd later learn would be a couple of big swings with how the Xbox brand is evolving under her purview by decreasing the price of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and confirming that brand-new Call of Duty games will not launch directly into Game Pass anymore. But a new report claims that there will be more than enough of the long-running military shooter to go around. A report from PC Gamer claims that we'll start seeing older titles from the franchise make their way onto Xbox […]

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After rumors coming from a leaked memo pointed to a price decrease coming to Xbox Game Pass, the company confirmed today that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is officially getting cheaper, and will go down from its current rate of $29.99/month to $22.99/month. The PC Game Pass tier is also getting a price deduction, and will be down from $16.49/month to $13.99/month. What's more is that new Call of Duty games will no longer launch into the subscription service, and instead arrive "about a year later." The news was revealed in a short Xbox Wire blog post, which was followed up […]

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Xbox has revealed the second batch of games joining Xbox Game Pass for the remainder of April 2026, and it's a much more solid wave of entries compared to the first batch, if only because the games listed are actually new entries to the service and not just a bunch of games previously already available at the Game Pass Ultimate tier moving down to Premium. The new entries include a wave of games launching directly into Xbox Game Pass, including titles previously announced like Double Fine's upcoming Kiln and Poncle's new Vampire Crawlers. It also includes Aphelion, the upcoming sci-fi […]

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Yet another reliable rumor suggests Microsoft may lower the price of its Game Pass subscription service. Yesterday, we reported Jez Corden's claim that Microsoft may be considering dropping this year's new Call of Duty game from Game Pass. Today, The Verge's Tom Warren has shared the content of a leaked internal memo penned by new Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma. According to Warren, Sharma made it clear to Xbox employees that there will have to be structural changes to Game Pass: Game Pass is central to gaming value on Xbox. It’s also clear that the current model isn’t the final […]

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Following Microsoft's expensive acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the biggest question mark was whether the latter's most popular product, Call of Duty, would join Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft eventually decided to add new installments starting with 2024's Black Ops 6, developed by Treyarch and Raven Software. Right away, it broke franchise and Game Pass records, but later it became clear it wasn't such a good decision for the franchise. Now, according to Windows Central's Jez Corden, Microsoft might even remove 2026's Call of Duty from Game Pass. Speaking in his latest podcast, Corden said: It'd be interesting to see if they […]

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